Project 4 will extend our analyses of behavioral processes important in teaching rudimentary preacademic skills to people with mental retardation and autism. The overall objective is to examine how stimulus equivalence classes are related phenomena function in establishing integrated networks of matching to sample, oral naming, and writing. Clarification of these processes will contribute to applications of the methods in educational settings (see Project 7). Our work is broadly relevant to current issues in the theory and practice of reading instruction for persons with special educational needs. Because theses studies include computerized spelling and sentence- production procedures, the results will have particular relevance for the development of computer-assisted instruction that established generative preacademic repertoire. The proposed Project 4 grew primarily out of current research on stimulus control processes in persons with mental retardation. Methodological and conceptual contributions also came from studies with studies with students who have learning disabilities. The Specific productive speech, and writing. We will identify parameters of learning that lead to broad stimulus control and generative performances in rudimentary language arts performances; (2) examine the role of stimulus equivalence and sequence classes in teaching word analysis skills resembling phonics; (3) extend the analysis of equivalence and sequence classes to the comprehension and production of phrases and sentences; (4) analyzed the functions of higher-order or contextual stimuli in the development of language arts skills; (5) analyze relationships between stimulus equivalence classes established using matching-to-sample procedures and stimulus classes that derive from stimulus sequence training.